Base station antennas having bottom end caps with angled connector ports

ABSTRACT

A base station antenna includes a radome having a bottom opening, an antenna assembly within the radome, a bottom end cap covering the bottom opening of the radome, the bottom end cap including a plurality of connector receptacles, and a plurality of connectors mounted in respective ones of the connector receptacles, each connector including a connector port that extends downwardly from the bottom end cap. Longitudinal axes of a first subset of the connectors extend at respective oblique angles with respect to a plane that is normal to a longitudinal axis of the antenna.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/520,068, filed Jun. 15, 2017,the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference as ifset forth in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to radio communications and,more particularly, to base station antennas for cellular communicationssystems.

Cellular communications systems are well known in the art. In a cellularcommunications system, a geographic area is divided into a series ofregions that are referred to as “cells” which are served by respectivebase stations. Each base station may include one or more base stationantennas that are configured to provide two-way radio frequency (“RF”)communications with fixed and mobile subscribers that are within thecell served by the base station. In many cases, each base station isdivided into “sectors.” For example, a hexagonally shaped cell may bedivided into three 120° sectors, and each sector is served by one ormore base station antennas that have an azimuth half-power beamwidth ofapproximately 65°. Typically, the base station antennas are mounted on atower or other raised structure, with the radiation patterns (“antennabeams”) that are generated by the base station antennas directedoutwardly. Base station antennas are often implemented as linear phasedarrays of radiating elements.

In order to accommodate increasing volume of cellular communicationstraffic, cellular operators have added cellular service in a variety ofnew frequency bands. Different linear arrays of radiating elements areoften used to support service in the different frequency bands. As thenumber of frequency bands has proliferated, and increased sectorizationhas become more common (e.g., dividing a cell into six, nine or eventwelve sectors), the number of base station antennas deployed at atypical base station has increased significantly. However, due to, forexample, local zoning ordinances and/or weight and wind loadingconstraints for the antenna towers, there is often a limit as to thenumber of base station antennas that can be deployed at a given basestation. In order to increase capacity without further increasing thenumber of base station antennas, multi-band base station antennas arecommonly used that have multiple linear arrays of radiating elements ina single antenna. One common multi-band base station antenna design isthe RVV antenna, which includes one linear array of “low-band” radiatingelements that are used to provide service in the 694-960 MHz frequencyband (which is often referred to as the “R-band”) and two linear arraysof “high-band” radiating elements that are used to provide service inthe 1695-2690 MHz frequency band (which is often referred to as the“V-band”). These linear arrays are mounted in side-by-side fashion.Other multi-band base station antennas include, for example, the RRVVantenna, which has two linear arrays of low-band radiating elements andtwo linear arrays of high-band radiating elements, and the RR4V antenna,which has two linear arrays of low-band radiating elements and fourlinear arrays of high-band radiating elements.

Most base station antennas use dual-polarized radiating elements intheir linear arrays, so that the same RF signal may be transmitted fromeach linear array at two orthogonal polarizations. Typically, a lineararray of dual polarized radiating elements is connected to an associatedradio through two connector ports on a base station antenna, namely afirst connector port for the first polarization (e.g., a slant +45°polarization) and a second connector port for the second polarization(e.g., a slant −45° polarization). Additionally, many base stationantennas include wideband radiating elements that may be used totransmit and receive signals in multiple frequency sub-bands. Forexample, a base station antenna may include a linear array of low-bandradiating elements that can be used to transmit and receive signals inboth the 700 MHz frequency sub-band and the 800 MHz frequency sub-band.Such an antenna may include one or more diplexers that connect thelinear array of low-band radiating elements to both a radio operating inthe 700 MHz sub-band and a radio operating in the 800 MHz sub-band.Thus, such a linear array may be connected to as many four radio portsthrough four connector ports on the base station antenna, namely a +45°polarization 700 MHz port, a −45° polarization 700 MHz port, a +45°polarization 800 MHz port, and a −45° polarization 800 MHz port. Thus,an RRVV antenna (four linear arrays) that has dual-polarized widebandradiating elements may have as many as sixteen connector ports. An RR4Vantenna (six linear arrays) could potentially require as many astwenty-four connector ports. Additional connector ports may be neededfor control signal connections such as connector ports for AntennaInterface Standards Group (“AISG”) control channels.

SUMMARY

Pursuant to embodiments of the present invention, base station antennasare provided that include a radome having a bottom opening, an antennaassembly within the radome, and a bottom end cap covering the bottomopening of the radome. The bottom end cap includes a plurality ofconnector receptacles. A plurality of connectors are mounted inrespective ones of the connector receptacles, each connector including aconnector port that extends downwardly from the bottom end cap.Longitudinal axes of a first subset of the connectors extend atrespective oblique angles with respect to a plane that is normal to alongitudinal axis of the antenna.

Pursuant to further embodiments of the present invention, base stationantennas are provided that include a radome having a bottom opening, anantenna assembly within the radome, a bottom end cap covering the bottomopening of the radome, the bottom end cap including a plurality ofconnector receptacles, and a plurality of connectors mounted inrespective ones of the connector receptacles, each connector including aconnector port that extends downwardly from the bottom end cap. Alongitudinal axis of a first of the connector ports and a vector thatextends along a plane defined by the bottom end cap from the first ofthe connector ports to a closest point along a periphery of the bottomend cap intersect to form an acute angle.

In some embodiments of the above described base station antennas, theplane that is normal to a longitudinal axis of the antenna is defined bya planar section of the bottom end cap, and the longitudinal axis ofeach connector in the first subset of the connectors ports and arespective vector that extends from each connector in the first subsetof the connectors to a respective closest point along a periphery of thebottom end cap intersect to form an acute angle. In some embodiments,each acute angle may be less than 80°. For example, in some embodimentseach acute angle may be between 45° and 80°.

In some embodiments, the base station antenna includes at least onerearwardly extending mounting fixture, and the first subset of theconnectors includes at least some of the connectors that are adjacent aforward edge and/or a side edge of the bottom end cap.

In some embodiments, the connector port of each connector in the firstsubset of the connectors is angled outwardly toward a periphery of thebottom end cap.

In some embodiments, each connector in a second subset of the connectorshas a respective longitudinal axis that intersects the bottom end cap atan angle of substantially 90°. In some embodiments, at least some of theconnectors in the second subset of the connectors are mounted closer toa center of the bottom end cap than are at least some of the connectorsin the first subset of the connectors.

In some embodiments, each connector receptacle for the connectors in thefirst subset of the connectors comprises a panel having an openingextending therethrough, and each panel of the connector receptacles forthe connectors in the first subset of the connectors is an angled panelthat intersects the plane at an angle of at least 10°. In someembodiments, the longitudinal axes of the first subset of the connectorsare substantially perpendicular to respective ones of the panels of theconnector receptacles. In some embodiments, each angled panel extendsdownwardly from the plane defined by a planar section of the bottom endcap. In some embodiments, each angled panel extends upwardly from theplane defined by a planar section of the bottom end cap.

In some embodiments, each connector receptacle for the connectors in thefirst subset of the connectors may include an inwardly projecting boss.

Pursuant to further embodiments of the present invention, base stationantennas are provided that include a radome having a bottom opening, anantenna assembly within the radome, a bottom end cap covering the bottomopening of the radome, the bottom end cap including a downwardlyextending protrusion having a plurality of sidewalls, wherein at leastsome of the sidewalls include connector receptacles, and a plurality ofconnectors mounted in respective ones of the connector receptacles, eachconnector including a connector port that extends downwardly from thebottom end cap.

In some embodiments, the bottom end cap further includes a planarsection that extends around the periphery of the bottom end cap, thedownwardly extending protrusion extending downwardly from the planarsection. In some embodiments, a first of the sidewalls intersects aplane defined by the planar section at an oblique angle. In someembodiments, the oblique angle is between 95° and 135°. In someembodiments, at least some of the connector receptacles includerespective oval openings. In some embodiments, the downwardly extendingprotrusion has a bottom surface that is substantially perpendicular to alongitudinal axis of the base station antenna.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a base station antenna according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the radome of the base station antennaof FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a base station antenna of FIG. 1 withthe radome removed.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a base station antenna of FIG. 1 with theradome removed.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the exterior surface of the bottomend cap of the base station antenna of FIG. 1 with the connectorsinstalled therein.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG.5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the interior surface of the bottomend cap of FIG. 5 with the connectors omitted.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a bottom endcap of a base station antenna according to further embodiments of thepresent invention that has externally protruding connector mountingreceptacles.

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of a bottom portion of a basestation antenna similar to the base station antenna of FIG. 1 that usesconnectors that are installed in the bottom end cap at 90° angles.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an internally protrudingmounting receptacle for a bottom end cap according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of an internallyprotruding mounting receptacle for a bottom end cap according to furtherembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a bottom end cap according to furtherembodiments of the present invention that includes downwardly protrudingwalls that have a plurality of connectors mounted therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Base station antennas typically include a bottom end cap that has aplurality of double-sided connectors mounted therethrough. Eachdouble-sided connector may have an internal connector that connects to arespective one of a plurality of “internal” coaxial cables that arerouted within the interior of the base station antenna, and an externalconnector that is typically referred to as a “connector port.” Coaxialjumper cables may be connected to the respective connector ports toconnect each connector port to a respective port on a radio. Mountingthese double-sided connectors so that the connector ports protrudedownwardly from the bottom end cap of the base station antenna providesa degree of protection against water or moisture ingress to the antennathrough the openings that receive the double-sided connectors.

While base station antennas are being deployed that have increasednumbers of linear arrays, the size of the antennas is not increasingproportionally. Instead, cellular network operators are typically onlywilling to accept a small increase in the width and/or depth of the basestation antenna, as large antennas implicate weight, visual blightand/or wind-loading concerns. As a result, base station antennas thathave a large number of linear arrays may require a large number ofconnector ports on a relatively small bottom end cap.

When a base station antenna is installed atop an antenna tower or othermounting structure, a technician may connect a coaxial jumper cable toeach connector port on the bottom end cap of the antenna. These coaxialjumper cables may, for example, connect directly to remote radio heads,connect to intervening equipment such as tower-mounted filters that areconnected between the antenna and remote radio heads, or connect to atrunk cable termination (in case where the radios are mounted at thebase of the antenna tower). It may be important that the techniciantightly connect each coaxial jumper cable to its respective connectorport and properly waterproof the connection (using, for example, asealing boot) in order to ensure proper operation of the base stationantenna. Improper connections may lead to degraded performance due to,for example, passive intermodulation (“PIM”) distortion that may ariseif the connector on the coaxial jumper cable is not tightly installed onthe connector port or electrical short circuits and/or corrosion due towater ingress at the connector ports.

In order to ensure that technicians have sufficient room to properlyconnect the coaxial jumper cables to the connector ports on a basestation antenna, adjacent connector ports are typically arranged to haveat least a minimum specified center-to-center spacing. The most commonlyused connector ports are 7/16-DIN connector ports, mini-DIN connectorports and 4.3/10 connector ports. For antennas using 7/16-DIN connectorports, the center of each connector port may be positioned to be spacedat least 51 mm away from the center of any other connector port. Forantennas using mini-DIN and 4.3/10 connector ports, the center of eachconnector port may be positioned to be spaced at least 45 mm away fromthe center of any other connector port. As the number of connector portsper base station antenna increases more quickly than the size of thebottom end cap, it may become difficult to maintain a desired minimumcenter-to-center spacing between connector ports. Additionally, as thenumber of connector ports increases, it may become necessary to mountconnector ports near the front edge of the bottom end cap (i.e., theedge that is directly underneath the front surface of the radome. Whenconnectors are located along the front edge of the bottom end cap, theinternal coaxial cables that connect thereto may be located immediatelyadjacent the lowermost radiating elements. If located too closely to theradiating elements, these internal coaxial cables may negatively impactthe antenna beams formed by the linear arrays. Thus, it may be necessaryto extend the length of the base station antenna to ensure that theinternal cables do not exceed maximum bend radii and/or are not routedto close to any of the radiating elements such that the internal coaxialcables negatively impact the radiation patterns of any of the lineararrays.

Pursuant to embodiments of the present invention, base station antennasare provided that have bottom end caps with connector ports that aremounted to extend from the bottom end cap at oblique angles with respectto a plane that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the basestation antenna. These base station antennas may include a radome havinga bottom opening, an antenna assembly within the radome, a bottom endcap that has a plurality of connector receptacles covering the bottomopening of the radome, and a plurality of connectors mounted inrespective ones of the connector receptacles. Each connector may includea connector port that extends downwardly from the bottom end cap to beaccessible from outside of the antenna. Longitudinal axes of at least asubset of the connectors extend at respective oblique angles withrespect to a plane that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of theantenna, such as a plane defined by the bottom end cap. In someembodiments, each oblique angle may be less than 80°. For example, theoblique angle may be between 45° and 75° in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the subset of the connectors that extend at obliqueangles with respect to the plane defined by the bottom end cap may beconnectors that are located adjacent a front edge and/or connectorsadjacent one or both side edges of the bottom end cap. The connectorports in this subset may be angled “outwardly” such that an angledefined by the longitudinal axis of each connector port in the subsetand a respective vector that extends from the connector port to arespective closest point along a periphery of the bottom end cap is anacute angle. Each connector may be mounted in a respective connectorreceptacle. Each connector receptacle may comprise a panel having anopening extending therethrough. The panel may be angled by at least 10°with respect to the plane defined by the bottom end cap in someembodiments.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in furtherdetail with reference to the attached figures.

FIGS. 1-7 illustrate a base station antenna 100 according to certainembodiments of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 1 is a frontperspective view of the antenna 100, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view ofthe radome of antenna 100. FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and afront view, respectively, of the antenna 100 with the radome removed toillustrate the inner components of the antenna. FIG. 5 is a plan viewillustrating the exterior surface of the bottom end cap of antenna 100with connectors mounted therein. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectionaldiagram taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a plan viewillustrating the interior surface of the bottom end cap prior toinstallation of the connectors.

As shown in FIGS. 1-7, the base station antenna 100 is an elongatedstructure that extends along a longitudinal axis L. The base stationantenna 100 may have a tubular shape with a generally rectangularcross-section. The antenna 100 includes a radome 110 and a top end cap120, which may be part of the radome 110 or a separate piece that isattached to the radome 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the radome has a bottomopening 112. Referring again to FIG. 1, a bottom end cap 130 whichincludes a plurality of connectors 150 mounted therein may be attachedto cover the bottom opening 112. One or more mounting brackets 114 areprovided on the rear side of the radome 110 which may be used to mountthe antenna 100 onto an antenna mount (not shown) on, for example, anantenna tower. The antenna 100 is typically mounted in a verticalconfiguration so that the longitudinal axis L may be generallyperpendicular to a plane defined by the horizon when the antenna 100 ismounted for normal operation.

As shown in FIGS. 3-4, the base station antenna 100 includes an antennaassembly 160. The antenna assembly 160 may be slidably inserted into theradome 110 through the bottom opening 112 thereof (see FIG. 2). Theantenna assembly 160 includes a ground plane structure 162 that includesa reflector 164. Various mechanical and electronic components of thebase station antenna 100 may be mounted behind the reflector 164 suchas, for example, phase shifters, remote electronic tilt units,mechanical linkages, a controller, diplexers, and the like. Thereflector 164 may comprise a metallic surface that serves as a reflectorand ground plane for the radiating elements of the antenna 100.

A plurality of radiating elements are mounted to extend forwardly fromthe reflector 164. The radiating elements may include, for example,low-band radiating elements 172 and high-band radiating elements 182. Asshown best in FIG. 4, the low-band radiating elements 172 are mounted intwo vertical columns to form two vertically-disposed linear arrays170-1, 170-2 of low-band radiating elements 172. The high-band radiatingelements 182 may likewise be mounted in two vertical columns to form twovertically-disposed linear arrays 180-1, 180-2 of high-band radiatingelements 182. The linear arrays 180 of high-band radiating elements 182may be positioned between the linear arrays 170 low-band radiatingelements 172. The low-band radiating elements 172 may be configured totransmit and receive signals in, for example, some or all of 694-960 MHzfrequency band. The high-band radiating elements 182 may be configuredto transmit and receive signals in, for example, some or all of the1695-2690 MHz frequency band.

Referring to FIG. 5, a plurality of connectors 150-1 through 150-16 aremounted to extend through the bottom end cap 130. The portion of eachconnector 150 that protrudes downwardly from the bottom end cap 130(i.e., the portion visible in FIG. 5) is referred to as a connector port152. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a total of sixteen connector ports 152are mounted in the bottom end cap 130. Four connector ports 152 areprovided for each linear array 170, 180, namely a connector port for RFsignals having a slant +45° polarization in a first sub-band, aconnector port for RF signals having a slant −45° polarization in thefirst sub-band, a connector port for RF signals having a slant +45°polarization in a Second sub-band, and a connector port for RF signalshaving a slant −45° polarization in the second sub-band. The bottom endcap 130 further includes four connectors 154 that receive cables thatcarry AISG control signals. A plurality of small holes are also providedthrough the bottom end cap 130 that receive screws that attach thebottom end cap to the antenna assembly 160.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, the connectors 150 are in close proximity toeach other, and this may make it more difficult for technicians toattach coaxial jumper cables to the connector ports 152. Additionally,there is little additional room on the bottom end cap 130 for additionalconnector ports 152.

As can also be seen in FIG. 5, the four connectors 150-1 through 150-4that are adjacent a front edge 132 of the bottom end cap 130 (i.e., theedge of the bottom end cap 130 that is underneath the front surface ofthe radome 110) are angled outwardly toward the front edge 132 of thebottom end cap 130. As a result, the connector ports 152 on theseconnectors 150-1 through 150-4 may be more easily accessed by atechnician who is attaching (or detaching) coaxial jumper cablesthereto. Likewise the two connectors 150-5, 150-6 and 150-7, 150-8 thatare adjacent each side edge of the bottom end cap 130 are angledoutwardly toward the respective side edges of the bottom end cap 130 sothat a technician may more readily attach and detach coaxial jumpercables to the connector ports 152 on these connectors 150.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram taken along line 6-6 ofFIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, because each of the connectors 150-1 through150-8 are angled outwardly, the longitudinal axis L_(C) (i.e., an axisrunning lengthwise through the center of the connector 150) of each ofthese connectors 150 extends at an oblique angle α with respect to theplane that is defined by the bottom surface of the end cap 130. Theangle α is defined by the longitudinal axis L_(C) of one of the angledconnectors 150 and a vector V₁ that extends from the connector port 152of the connector 150 to a closest point along a periphery of the bottomend cap 130. As shown in FIG. 6, since the connector ports are angledoutwardly towards the periphery of the bottom end cap 130, the angle αis an acute angle. In some embodiments, a may be an angle between 45°and 80°.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the interior surface of the bottom end cap 130is shown before the connectors 150 are installed therein. As can be seenin FIG. 7, the interior surface of the bottom end cap 130 generallydefines a plane. A pair of raised lips 134 that define a channel 136 maybe provided around the periphery of the interior of the bottom end cap130. The channel 136 may receive the lower edge of the radome 110. Thebottom end cap 130 further includes a plurality of connector receptacles140. Each connector receptacle 140 may receive a respective one of theconnectors 150. Each connector receptacle 140 may comprise a panel 142that has an opening 144 extending therethrough. The panels 142 areillustrated in FIG. 7 as having a generally rectangular shape, butpanels 142 having other shapes may be used. Each panel 142 may include aplurality of small screw holes 146 that may be used to fixedly attach aconnector 150 to the panel 142 using screws. As shown in FIG. 7, theopenings 144 for connector receptacles 140-1 through 140-8 are oval toallow for the connectors 150 mounted therein to be installed at anangle, as shown in FIGS. 5-6).

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a portion of a bottomend cap 130′ according to further embodiments of the present invention.The cross-section of FIG. 8 is taken along the same line (line 6-6 ofFIG. 5) as is the cross-section of FIG. 6, but it will be appreciatedthat the bottom end cap 130′ that is shown in FIG. 8 is a slightlymodified version of the bottom end cap 130 of FIGS. 5-7. As shown inFIG. 8, the bottom end cap 130′ has connector receptacles 140′ thatinclude panels 142′ that have a different design to facilitate anglingof a subset of the connectors 150. It will be appreciated that thebottom end cap 130′ of FIG. 8 may be identical to the bottom end cap 130of FIGS. 5-7 except that connector receptacles 140-1 through 140-8 ofbottom end cap 130 of FIGS. 5-7 may be replaced with connectorreceptacles 140′ of FIG. 8 (rotated appropriately to mount theconnectors 150 installed therein to be angled in a desired direction).

As can be seen in FIG. 8, the panel 142′ of connector receptacle 140′ isangled so that the connector port 152 of a connector 150 mounted thereinwill be angled outwardly toward the periphery of the bottom end cap130′. As shown in FIG. 8, the bottom end cap 130′ is a generally planarstructure having an interior surface 138I and an exterior surface 138E.However, at the locations of selected ones of the connector receptacles140′ (in this embodiment the connector receptacles 140-1′ through140-8′, only one of which is shown in FIG. 8), the panel 142′ is formedat an angle with respect to the plane defined by the interior surface138I of the bottom end cap 130′. The panel 142′ may be angled withrespect to plane defined by the exterior surface 138E of the bottom endcap 130 by an angle of β=90−α. The connector 150 may be inserted throughthe opening 144 in panel 142′ at a 90° angle. As a result, the connector150 will intersect the plane defined by the exterior surface 138E of thebottom end cap 130 at the angle α. As can also be seen in FIG. 8, theconnector port 152 may be angled so that it extends toward an adjacentedge of the bottom end cap 130′ (i.e., away from the center of thebottom end cap 130′), thereby generating additional distance between theconnector port 152 and adjacent connector ports 152 (see FIG. 5). Thepanels 142′ for connectors 150-1 through 150-4 may be angled in a firstdirection (namely sloping upwardly into the interior of the antenna withincreasing proximity to the front edge of the bottom end cap 130′) whilethe panels 142′ for connectors 150-5 and 150-6 may be angled in a seconddirection (namely sloping upwardly with increasing proximity to a firstside edge of the bottom end cap 130′) and the panels 142′ for connectors150-7 and 150-8 may be angled in a third direction (namely slopingupwardly with increasing proximity to a second side edge of the bottomend cap 130′)

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial perspective view of a bottom portion of abase station antenna 101 (with the radome thereof removed) that issimilar to the base station antenna 100 described above with referenceto FIGS. 1-7, except that the bottom end cap 131 of antenna 101 has aconventional design where all of the connectors intersect the planedefined by the bottom end cap 131 at an angle of about 90°. FIG. 9illustrates the relative locations of the bottom end cap 131, thereflector 164 and the lowermost of the radiating elements 172, 182. Ascan be seen in FIG. 9, once connectors (not shown) are installed in theconnector receptacles 140 that are adjacent the front edge of theantenna 101, the internal coaxial cables (not shown) that are attachedto those connectors will be in very close proximity to the lowermostradiating elements 172, 182. Moreover, the internal coaxial cables mayhave a limited bend radius, so that these cables cannot be bent at sharpangles to keep them clear of the radiating elements 172, 182. As aresult, the cables may end up being close enough to the radiatingelements 172, 182 such that they may negatively impact the radiationpatterns thereof. While this issue can be resolved by extending thelength of the antenna 101 so that the bottom end cap 131 may be mountedfurther away from the antenna assembly, operators desire smallerantennas which is inconsistent with such a design change, and extendingthe length of the antenna also has negative consequences in terms ofweight and cost.

If the bottom end cap 131 of the antenna 101 of FIG. 9 is modified touse one of the bottom end cap 130 or the bottom end cap 130′ accordingto embodiments of the present invention, then the portion of eachconnector 150 that is mounted adjacent the forward or side edges of thebottom end cap 130 will be angled inwardly toward the center of atransverse cross-section through the antenna 101. As a result, theseconnectors 150 and the internal coaxial cables attached thereto areangled away from the radiating elements 172, 182. Moreover, as theinternal coaxial cables typically are routed through the back center ofthe antenna 101, the internal coaxial cables are naturally pointed inthe correct direction when installed on the connectors 150, reducing theamount of bend required in these cables. Thus, the use of angledconnector ports according to the teachings of the present invention maynot only make it easier for technicians to properly attach and detachcoaxial jumper cables to the external connector ports, but may alsoavoid interference that internal cables may otherwise cause on theantenna patterns and advantageously reduce the amount of bend in ones ofthe internal cables that typically require the largest bends.

While FIGS. 1-7 and FIG. 8 illustrate two example antennas according toembodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated that theangled connector ports disclosed herein may be used on any base stationantenna having any number of linear arrays and any number of connectorports. It will also be appreciated that a variety of differenttechniques may be used to angle the connector ports.

For example, FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion ofbottom end cap 230 according to further embodiments of the presentinvention. The bottom end cap 230 may be very similar to the bottom endcap 130′ described above, except that the bottom end cap 230 may haveconnector receptacles 240 with panels 242 that protrude internally intothe antenna as opposed to the connector receptacles 140′ of bottom endcap 130′ that protrude externally. Connectors 150 are received in therespective connector receptacles 240.

As another example, FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of aportion of bottom end cap 330 according to further embodiments of thepresent invention that has a connector receptacle 340 having a panel 342that may be coplanar with the exterior surface 338E of the bottom endcap 330. The connector receptacle 340 further includes an internallyprotruding angled boss 345 that has an opening 344 that is sized toreceive a connector 150. The connector receptacle 340 may be designed tomount the connector 150 at an oblique angle with respect to the planedefined by the exterior surface 338E of the bottom end cap 330. The boss345 may protrude externally in other embodiments or portions of the boss345 may protrude both internally and externally.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a bottom end cap 430 according tofurther embodiments of the present invention that includes downwardlyprotruding walls that have a plurality of connectors (not shown) mountedtherein.

As shown in FIG. 12, another technique for providing room for additionalconnector ports on the bottom end cap of a base station antenna is toinclude a downwardly extending protrusion that connectors may be mountedthrough. For example, FIG. 12 depicts a bottom end cap 430 for a basestation antenna that includes a planar section 490 that extends aroundthe periphery of the bottom end cap 430 and a downwardly extendingprotrusion 492. The downwardly extending protrusion 492 may have aplurality of sidewalls 494 and may have a bottom 496. As shown in FIG.12, connector receptacles 440 may be formed in the planar section 490,in the sidewalls 494 and/or in the bottom 496. At least some of thesidewalls 494 may intersect a plane that is perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis L of an antenna on which the bottom end cap 430 ismounted (e.g., base station antenna 100 described above, with bottom endcap 430 replacing bottom end cap 130) at an oblique angle. For example,each sidewall 494 may meet the planar section 490 of the bottom end cap430 at an angle of, for example, between 95° and 135° in someembodiments.

As can be seen, the addition of the downwardly extending protrusion 492increases the external surface area on the bottom end cap 430 that isavailable for connector receptacles 440. Additionally, since thesidewalls 494 of the downwardly extending protrusion 492 are angled, theconnector ports may be pointed in different directions, providing moreroom around each connector port for a technician attaching (ordetaching) coaxial jumper cables thereto. Additionally, by providing theplanar section 490 around the periphery of the bottom end cap 430, waterthat flows down the radome of the antenna is less likely to flow ontothe sidewalls 494 of the downwardly extending protrusion 492, reducingthe possibility of water ingress through one of the connector ports onthe downwardly extending protrusion 492.

It will be appreciated that bottom end cap 430 illustrates one exampleof a bottom end cap having a downwardly extending protrusion 492, andthat a wide variety of other designs may be used.

Note that herein the base station antennas according to embodiments ofthe present invention and the components thereof have been describedusing terms that assume that the antennas are mounted for use on a towerwith the longitudinal axis of each antenna extending along a respectivevertical axis and the front surface of the antenna mounted opposite thetower pointing toward the coverage area for the antenna.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described above withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another. For example, a first element could be termed asecond element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a firstelement, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Asused herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of oneor more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”another element, it can be directly on the other element or interveningelements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referredto as being “directly on” another element, there are no interveningelements present. It will also be understood that when an element isreferred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it canbe directly connected or coupled to the other element or interveningelements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to asbeing “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element,there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describethe relationship between elements should be interpreted in a likefashion (i.e., “between” versus “directly between”, “adjacent” versus“directly adjacent”, etc.).

Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or“horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationshipof one element, layer or region to another element, layer or region asillustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms areintended to encompass different orientations of the device in additionto the orientation depicted in the figures.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”“comprising,” “includes” and/or “including” when used herein, specifythe presence of stated features, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Aspects and elements of all of the embodiments disclosed above can becombined in any way and/or combination with aspects or elements of otherembodiments to provide a plurality of additional embodiments.

1. A base station antenna that extends along a longitudinal axis,comprising: a radome having a bottom opening; an antenna assembly withinthe radome; a bottom end cap covering the bottom opening of the radome,the bottom end cap including a plurality of connector receptacles; and aplurality of connectors mounted in respective ones of the connectorreceptacles, each connector including a connector port that extendsdownwardly from the bottom end cap, wherein longitudinal axes of a firstsubset of the connectors extend at respective oblique angles withrespect to a plane that is normal to the longitudinal axis of theantenna.
 2. The base station antenna of claim 1, wherein the plane isdefined by a planar section of the bottom end cap, and the longitudinalaxis of each connector in the first subset of the connectors ports and arespective vector that extends from each connector in the first subsetof the connectors to a respective closest point along a periphery of thebottom end cap intersect to form an acute angle.
 3. The base stationantenna of claim 2, wherein each acute angle is between 45° and 80°. 4.The base station antenna of claim 2, the base station antenna furthercomprising at least one rearwardly extending mounting fixture, whereinthe first subset of the connectors includes at least some of theconnectors that are adjacent a forward edge of the bottom end cap. 5.-6.(canceled)
 7. The base station antenna of claim 1, wherein the connectorport of each connector in the first subset of the connectors is angledoutwardly toward a periphery of the bottom end cap.
 8. The base stationantenna of claim 7, wherein each connector in a second subset of theconnectors has a respective longitudinal axis that intersects the bottomend cap at an angle of substantially 90°.
 9. The base station antenna ofclaim 2, wherein each connector receptacle for the connectors in thefirst subset of the connectors comprises a panel having an openingextending therethrough, and each panel of the connector receptacles forthe connectors in the first subset of the connectors is an angled panelthat intersects the plane at an angle of at least 10°. 10.-11.(canceled)
 12. A base station antenna that extends along a longitudinalaxis, comprising: a radome having a bottom opening; an antenna assemblywithin the radome; a bottom end cap covering the bottom opening of theradome, the bottom end cap including a plurality of connectorreceptacles; and a plurality of connectors mounted in respective ones ofthe connector receptacles, each connector including a connector portthat extends downwardly from the bottom end cap, wherein a longitudinalaxis of a first of the connector ports and a vector that extends along aplane defined by the bottom end cap from the first of the connectorports to a closest point along a periphery of the bottom end capintersect to form an acute angle.
 13. (canceled)
 14. The base stationantenna of claim 12, wherein each acute angle is between 45° and 80°.15. The base station antenna of claim 14, the base station antennafurther comprising at least one rearwardly extending mounting fixture,wherein the first of the connector ports is located adjacent a forwardedge or a side edge of the bottom end cap.
 16. The base station antennaof claim 14, wherein a second of the connector ports has a longitudinalaxis that intersects the plane defined by the bottom end cap at an angleof substantially 90°.
 17. A base station antenna, comprising: a radomehaving a bottom opening; an antenna assembly within the radome; a bottomend cap covering the bottom opening of the radome, the bottom end capincluding a downwardly extending protrusion having a plurality ofsidewalls, wherein at least some of the sidewalls include connectorreceptacles; and a plurality of connectors mounted in respective ones ofthe connector receptacles, each connector including a connector portthat extends downwardly from the bottom end cap.
 18. The base stationantenna of claim 17, wherein the bottom end cap further includes aplanar section that extends around the periphery of the bottom end cap,the downwardly extending protrusion extending downwardly from the planarsection.
 19. The base station antenna of claim 17, wherein a first ofthe sidewalls intersects a plane defined by the planar section at anoblique angle.
 20. (canceled)
 21. The base station antenna of claim 1,wherein at least some of the connector receptacles include respectiveoval openings.
 22. The base station antenna of claim 12, wherein atleast some of the connector receptacles include respective ovalopenings.
 23. The base station antenna of claim 17, wherein at leastsome of the connector receptacles include respective oval openings. 24.The base station antenna of claim 8, wherein at least some of theconnectors in the second subset of the connectors are mounted closer toa center of the bottom end cap than are at least some of the connectorsin the first subset of the connectors. 25.-26. (canceled)
 27. The basestation antenna of claim 1, wherein each connector receptacle for theconnectors in the first subset of the connectors comprises an inwardlyprojecting boss.
 28. (canceled)
 29. The base station antenna of claim17, wherein the downwardly extending protrusion has a bottom surfacethat is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the basestation antenna.